#1675 Costume National rebels

Rebellious tailoring was the inspiration behind Ennio Capasa’s Costume National show today, in a collection that combined technically advanced fabrics with a dash of fragility. So what makes a menswear rebel? Eliminating shirts from one’s wardrobe, according to Capasa. His substitute for the male staple came in the form of ultralight knitwear – striped and colour-blocked turtlenecks, v-necks and crewnecks in super-fine mohair and shetland wool. These were worn beneath techno suits with hidden zip closures (removing the need for buttons), and super-reinforced leather jackets that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Michael Jackson video. Or on Blade Runner. Coats stole the show – my favourite was charcoal with blue and red checks. Made from heavy wools, each featured a contrast-colour-edging that gave them a perfectly unfinished, finished look. It was a clever detail; one that just about made up for that distinct lack of shirts.